by Maheen Sohail, March 22, 2021

۴ ﻖﭩﺳﺎﭩﻧﺎﻓ

Smoked Yogurt & Beets

As A & L sit at the table
The Earth becomes stable
In the Smoky winter night
The dancing Leaves bring the light

Roasted Chicken

Give thanks for they (ingredients) provide you nourishment
With the chicken’s warmth & potatoes encouragement

Deconstructed Cheesecake

What is a cheesecake?
Is it Constructed or Unbaked?
Flavor still awake
So let’s Celebrate
Today’s date!

This menu was created to celebrate my friendship of 10 years with my best friends back in Pakistan. I wanted to not only celebrate our friendship but express that through my food as well as my love for poetry.

To break it down, the capitalized words each represent either my connection to my friends, my food, or the ideas that I hold dear.

The Earth signifies the earthy beets in the salad but also represent my connection to my best friends. The Smoky part is the charcoal smoked yogurt, and the dancing Leaves are the bed of arugula leaves.

The main essence of my poem was to appreciate that no matter what I go through, my friends have always been there as the dancing leaves that brought peace and light into my life.